The Indianist Missionary Council (CIMI), an agency linked to the
National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), concluded its annual
survey on violence against Indian peoples in Brazil. The figures for
1993 show that Indians continue to be targets of aggressive acts; in
many cases, more than in previous years. Conflicts provoked by the
invasion of their lands were the main cause of this violence.
43 Indians were murdered, almost twice the figure for 1992, when
24 homicides were registered. The increase was caused by the massacre
of 16 Yanomami Indians by miners in July. Eighty-five Indians were
victims of murder attempts and over 600 received death threats. Cases
of abuse of power by the military and civil police were particularly
impressive: at least 20 Indians were violently beaten by policemen and
18 were illegally arrested.
For the first time, the report registered cases of work under
conditions of virtual slavery involving 7,470 Indians, mostly Guarani
Kaiowa' and Guarani Nhandeva. They were hired to work under subhuman
conditions in charcoal kilns and alcohol distilleries in the state of
Mato Grosso do Sul. Thirty-nine Indians committed suicides, 33 of them
were Guarani and six Tikuna, who live in the state of Amazonas.
Regarding aggressive acts against the natural heritage, the report
registers the theft of hardwood in 26 Indian areas. In addition to
coopting Indian leaders, the woodcutters have been arming Indians to
ensure the removal of the wood from their territories. This activity
has not represented any economic alternative for Indian communities,
although they justify their involvement in it on these grounds.
In addition to denouncing the violence, the report warns that
aggressive acts against Indian peoples may become a trivial matter.
Because so many of them are committed on a permanent basis, it may
look like the situation is normal and inevitable. The report also
denounces the delinquent behavior of the Brazilian State, as the
government has been guilty of omission in most cases and has not taken
the steps determined by law to avoid them, such as the demarcation of
Indian lands, the protection of the natural heritage, measures to
punish aggressors and provision of assistance to Indian communities.
VIOLENCE AGAINST INDIAN PEOPLES IN 1993
Summary chart *
Murders..........................................43
Murder attempts..................................85
Death threats...................................600
Illegal arrests..................................18
Physical harm**..................................29
Rapes.............................................7
Rape attempts.....................................1
Violent indecent assaults.........................2
Suicides.........................................39
Conditions of virtual slavery.................7,470
Malaria***....................................4,859
Cholera.........................................122
Tuberculosis.....................................62
Leishmaniosis....................................48
Deaths caused by malaria.........................32
Deaths caused by cholera.........................21
Total number of deaths caused by diseases.......124
Invasions by timber companies....................26
Disseinsin........................................9
Damages to the natural heritage****...............8
* figures related to the number of Indians, except those
related to the heritage (invasions, disseisin and damages
to the natural heritage).
** total physical harms caused by policemen and private
individuals.
*** figure on diseases and deaths caused by diseases
refer to 24 peoples.
**** figure related to fire, destruction of funerary urns,
waste disposal and destruction of fences.
Bras'ilia, April 14th, 1994
CIMI - Indianist Missionary Council